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“By the Lord of the Kaaba, I am successful”. These were the profound words uttered from the mouth of the beloved Imam Ali (a) upon being fatally struck by the sword of Abdul Rahman ibn Muljim (may Allah remove His mercy from him). When one discovers the circumstances in which Imam Ali (a) was in at the time of the strike, which was in a state of prostration during his pre-dawn prayers of 19th of Ramadan, it is quite difficult to understand how a person, in their last moments, could utter such words. However, it becomes easier to reconcile the facts when we understand who this personality was, that this man was and is the best servant of Allah after our holy Prophet (s). It is only then when we can understand why such profound words were spoken. Imam Ali, being the best servant of Allah (swt), found obedience and servitude to Allah (swt) in everything he would do, whether it was defending Islam on the battlefield or through his private invocations in the middle of the night, he truly sought to serve and worship Allah in every moment of his life. So it makes sense that he uttered those inspiring words because his death came during his worship of Allah (swt), during his life’s goal, and thus he was truly successful. In this is a lesson in how we should go about our servitude to Allah (swt), but therein lies another lesson, a lesson from the murderer of our beloved Imam.

From a Follower to an Assassin

It is important to know that before he assassinated the Imam, Abdur rahman Ibn Muljim was a supporter and follower of Imam Ali (a). The Imam once predicted to Ibn Muljim that the he, Imam Ali, would be killed by Ibn Muljim’s sword. Upon hearing this Ibn Muljim requested the Imam to kill him right away so that he could not be guilty of this horrendous act, he could not bear the thought that he would kill his beloved Imam.. Days passed and feelings changed after the battles of Siffin and Nehrwan. Ibn Muljim met a woman and fell in love with her but this woman, named Qattam, was an enemy of Imam Ali (a), as both her father and brother were killed by the army of Imam Ali (a) in the battle of Siffin. When Ibn Muljim proposed to her, she had asked him for the head of Imam Ali (a) as the dowry for her marriage. Engulfed the desire for Qattam, Ibn Muljim agreed and fulfilled the destiny that so much displeased him that he asked for death instead of it. This historical event has a meaningful lesson–if we are not willing to let go of our desires and love of this world for the sake of our present Imam (aj) then we may need to reconsider our claims. We should love our Imam more than anyone else and be ready to sacrifice everything for him–have we assessed our claims to our Imam (aj)?

Following the Imam’s (a) advice

Imam Ali (a) in his last will, addressed his sons Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (a). [1] In it, some of the following is said:

Be always God conscious, have taqwa.

Do not be seduced by the world. Proclaim the truth.

Work for the hereafter.

Oppose the oppressor, support the oppressed.

Reconcile your differences. It is more worthy than prayers and fasts.

Fear Allah in relation to the orphans and neighbors.

Communicate and exchange opinions.

Remain attached to the Qur’an.

Fear Allah in relation to your prayers and to His house.

The Imam’s (a) Success on the Nights of Decree

On the night of decree (laylatul Qadr) which could be on the 19th, 21st, and 23rd of Ramadan, we recite certain prayers, supplications and chapters of the Qur’an throughout the night in order to get close to Allah, repent, and make our respective destinies. It is recommended to perform these specific acts on these nights of power. [2] Imam Ali (a) was struck on 19th while in prostration and two nights later, on a night of possible decree, the 21st, he breathed his last breaths of this world. Surely, he attained success. We, as his followers, can too. For the 19th, we recite the invocation (munajat) of Imam Ali and the following supplication: “O Allah, remove Your mercy from the ones who killed Ameerul Mu’mineen.” In addition to the above supplications, we also recite the salutation of Ameenillah (ziyarat of Ameenillah) on the night of 21st of Ramadan when Imam Ali (a) took his last breath. Besides being a salutation, it is also a supplication. It has been narrated that it carries a great reward and it will be kept as a proof of the love of the holy Prophet (s) and his holy household (as). Therefore on these nights of power, besides asking Allah about our own desires, we must strive to concentrate on the meaning behind the words of the supplications we recite, so that perhaps we may be able to gain closeness to Allah (swt) and His hujjah, Imam Mahdi (aj), and be written on these special nights to be amongst those who have the privilege of serving our Imam (aj).